


Survivors

by LemonBubble



Series: NVTR Fics [7]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Cecil is Inhuman, Gen, because of nuclear war!, the end of the world!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2013-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-31 16:44:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonBubble/pseuds/LemonBubble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Night Vale had been flattened by the war, just another little town caught in the crossfire. There was, it seemed, no one left. Until a Voice came, drifting on the breeze and a man climbed out of a bunker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Survivors

**Author's Note:**

> Night Vale Town Riot Bonus Prompt - The Apocalypse (Nuclear War)

Night Vale had been flattened by the war. Just another little town caught in the crossfire. There was, it seemed, no one left. Until a Voice came, drifting on the breeze and a man climbed out of a bunker.

It was the Voice that had drawn Steve out. Of course it was, he thought, who else would have survived. There was something… unnatural about Cecil. It seemed only reasonable that he would survive where no one else did. At least he didn’t think anyone else had.

There would be trouble - of everyone who could have possibly survived, Steve was sure he wouldn’t be in Cecil’s top ten - but… it was just so lonely in the bunker. He really didn’t care if the only other person alive hated him, as long as there was someone else in the world.

“Well, listeners, it seems the worst has passed.”The Voice drifted out across the empty streets, gentle and reassuring as always. Steve followed it along the familiar path to the radio station. He didn’t take any shortcuts across the piles of rubble that had once been buildings, whether out of respect or superstition he couldn’t say. It was pure habit that made him look away from the dog park, even though a logical voice in the back of his head said that no one would stop him from looking. There wouldn’t be anything there anyway. There way nothing anywhere any more.

Except for the Voice.

“Of course, there were many casualties, as can only be expected from a disaster of such magnitude. I mean, really, nuclear war? Not even the city council saw that one coming. So yes, there have been casualties, but we can get through this, listeners. We still have each other. My voice. Your ears.” That was an old line, Steve noticed. Cecil wasn’t in the habit of reusing old lines. Maybe that meant he knew no one was listening.

Steve wondered for a moment how exactly he was able to hear Cecil from so far away. He didn’t get any louder or clearer as he got closer either. Just the same calm, even voice he had always known.

When he got to the station he discovered that it was completely flattened. Just like everything else. And yet, there was Cecil, sitting where the studio once was, his desk and chair apparently untouched, clinging to his microphone and talking as if nothing had changed.

“In other news, Intern Ida has not yet returned from… wherever I sent her. Since it has been several weeks, I do not think she is coming back. Also, I have not heard from Old Woman Josie, Larry Leroy, or even lovely Carlos. I must confess, I am… concerned about their fates.” He hadn’t turned around or stopped talking, although he must have heard Steve approaching.

“Cecil.” Steve called. He noticed that the microphone was not plugged in to anything. In fact, the cord had apparently been burned and didn’t even have the part that would plug into something any more.

“Listeners, you’ll never guess who just intruded into my studio completely uninvited.” Cecil continued, not even a pause in the flow of words. He still hadn’t turned.

“Cecil!” Steve called louder. He wanted very much for Cecil to turn around, to let him know he was real and there was someone else really alive in the world. He was afraid this was all just a hallucination. At the very least, Cecil seemed delusional.

“Yes, it is none other than that huge jerk and all round spoilsport, Steve Carlsberg! Whatever makes him think he’s at all welcome in my studio is beyond me, but maybe we’ll get an interview anyway. After all, listeners, I am a journalist at heart an-”

“Cecil!” Steve snapped. Suddenly angry that he was being ignored, he grabbed the back of Cecil’s chair and turned it around, glaring. “There _are_ no listeners! Can’t you see that?! Look around you, Cecil, there is nothing left. For once in your life, open your god damn eyes.”

Cecil lowered the microphone slowly. The look in his eyes was frightening, to say the least.

“You think I don’t know that?” He practically growled, his calm radio voice gone. Now he sounded dangerous - angry and afraid and unbelievably sad, all at once. “You really think I can’t see what’s been done to my town? My home? And y-” He took a short breath to calm himself before continuing. “Of all the people to survive. The whole town. It had to be _you_ , didn’t it. _Steve Carlsberg_ , the paranoid, government-bashing, unacceptably-dry-scone-making, spoilsport. Of course _you_ would survive this, like the human cockroach you are. Why did you even come out of hiding, you knew I was the only thing out here.”

“I- I had to be sure.” Steve said, surprised at Cecil’s intensity. “I didn’t want to think that… I might be the only one left. And it’s not easy hiding away, alone and uncertain underground, you know.”

“Well, Steve, you are the only one left.” Cecil said flatly, still glaring. “And I don’t plan on keeping you company for the rest of your short life. As much as I dislike you, even I wouldn’t have wished this fate on you. But you brought it on yourself. You could have joined the others so easily, but you always have to make things more difficult for yourself, don’t you?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not the only one here, what about you?” Steve was worried now. Had he missed something? _Was_ Cecil actually just a hallucination?

“If _you_ would open your god damn eyes for once, you would have noticed these things, Steve!” Cecil’s eyes flashed in annoyance. Actually flashed, changing for a split second from their usual colour to something darker. “You’re always too busy looking for things that aren’t there to notice the obvious.”

“What obvious? What are you talking about?” Steve had unconsciously stepped back from Cecil, intimidated by the way he was looming angrily.

“I’m not human, you oblivious ass. I can’t just die and I’m going to be here forever, so there’s no point in you hanging around. It’s not like it was a secret, but your ridiculous paranoia kept you from seeing what’s really there.” Cecil snapped.

“Hey, that paranoia is what kept me alive this long!” Steve retorted, not really knowing what else to say. He had always known that Cecil was… odd, but he never thought he was so odd that he wasn’t human.

“And for _what?!_ Look around you!” Cecil waved his arm in a gesture that took in the entire world. “There is _nothing left_ Steve. What reason could you possibly have to keep going?”

“There… there have to be other survivors. Somewhere. I’ll find them, I’ll help them rebuild. The world doesn’t have to be over yet.” Steve argued, surprising even himself with his optimism.

“ _There is nothing left._ ” Cecil hissed. “I have looked and there is _nothing_. You are going to die slowly and painfully and it’s your own stupid fault. I just don’t understand why anyone, even someone as terrible as you, would inflict this on themselves.” Steve opened his mouth to argue but Cecil held up his hand. “You know what? You do whatever you damn well please, I’m not going anywhere.” He turned back to his desk and hunched over the microphone. Not speaking, just holding it. No matter what Steve did, he refused to respond.

“Fine.” Steve muttered. “I don’t care what you do either. _I’m_ going to _survive_.”

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it was be funny to have Steve and Cecil bickering with each other after surviving the apocalypse but actually it was just sad.


End file.
